Photographers that are also Videoographers: What camera do you use?

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Hello! I want to start film making again and my old dslr has unfortunately died on me. My thoughts were possibly any Canon rebel camera for photography and videos, but I am not so experienced with knowing which camera excels in which category. Thank you for any advice you could me.

Things to note:
My price range is 300-600, really. I'm not afraid to buy used as well!
I have carpel tunnel syndrome and carrying cameras with bigger bodies can be uncomfortable when shooting for long periods of time.
I'm also a cosplayer!

At that price range it'll pretty much be a Canon Rebel series. I would just get the newest version of it possible as the noise control is still not "topped out" at that level and the newer the cleaner.

I would divert some of that money towards a decent zoom lens. I believe some of the STM pancake lens for the EF-S line are actually very decent.

If you're looking to avoid bulk, there are some of the mirrorless cameras that match the image quality of DSLRs and even exceed them in videography. I would look into those, but most are currently over $1000. I believe there are one or two in the 600-700 range.

[QUOTE=WonJohnSoup;4924158]At that price range it'll pretty much be a Canon Rebel series. I would just get the newest version of it possible as the noise control is still not "topped out" at that level and the newer the cleaner.

I would divert some of that money towards a decent zoom lens. I believe some of the STM pancake lens for the EF-S line are actually very decent.

If you're looking to avoid bulk, there are some of the mirrorless cameras that match the image quality of DSLRs and even exceed them in videography. I would look into those, but most are currently over $1000. I believe there are one or two in the 600-700 range.

Good luck![/QUOTE]
Thank you so much for the reply! I think I'll purchase the Canon T3i, because the sample pictures and videos taken were better than the ones I've seen. c:

[QUOTE=principe;4924193]Thank you so much for the reply! I think I'll purchase the Canon T3i, because the sample pictures and videos taken were better than the ones I've seen. c:

How many lenses do you recommend having on hand?[/QUOTE]

I have my lens kit,and my 32mm lens, depending on event my 50mm, but for video i would use the lens kit honestly cause if the subject moves, you need to move otherwise. the T3i is not bad for video, I've used it in a pinch.

DSLRs are hard to use for video. They can do it, but it takes some effort; way more than for a dedicated video camera. And, they're not at all ergonomic for video shooting, especially compared to a dedicated video camera.

For Canon cameras in your budget range:
The T3i, T4i, 7D, and 60D all share the same sensor, so image quality will be roughly the same for all of them. For video, the T4i and T3i are arguably better than the 7D and 60D:
The 7D requires a firmware update for audio level controls; the other three have this feature out of the box. The T3i and T4i have digital zoom during video mode; the 60D and 7D do not. The T4i adds a new autofocus mode for video shooting - I've never used it, but I've read that it's not at all comparable to the good autofocus modes in a dedicated video camera.

I'd probably vote for a gently used T3i, and put anything you have left over toward accessories that will make it easier to use for video shooting, such as a simple shoulder mount.

Also:
The Canon Loyalty Program is pretty good, if you're OK with factory-refurbished gear and you have a broken Canon camera (even a point-n-shoot) that you can trade in. It's not widely advertised and not that easy to find your way into the program, but a little google magic should help you out.

[QUOTE=nathancarter;4924407]DSLRs are hard to use for video. They can do it, but it takes some effort; way more than for a dedicated video camera. And, they're not at all ergonomic for video shooting, especially compared to a dedicated video camera.

For Canon cameras in your budget range:
The T3i, T4i, 7D, and 60D all share the same sensor, so image quality will be roughly the same for all of them. For video, the T4i and T3i are arguably better than the 7D and 60D:
The 7D requires a firmware update for audio level controls; the other three have this feature out of the box. The T3i and T4i have digital zoom during video mode; the 60D and 7D do not. The T4i adds a new autofocus mode for video shooting - I've never used it, but I've read that it's not at all comparable to the good autofocus modes in a dedicated video camera.

I'd probably vote for a gently used T3i, and put anything you have left over toward accessories that will make it easier to use for video shooting, such as a simple shoulder mount.

Also:
The Canon Loyalty Program is pretty good, if you're OK with factory-refurbished gear and you have a broken Canon camera (even a point-n-shoot) that you can trade in. It's not widely advertised and not that easy to find your way into the program, but a little google magic should help you out.

A factory-refurb T4i, discounted with a trade-in, would probably be somewhere around 400 clams - but it's out of stock right now. The 60D is even cheaper, and in stock right now as I'm posting this.[/QUOTE]
This is a wonderful reply! Thank you so much for your input; honestly, I am so happy to see this post. Again, thank you so so much and I'll look into those links right now. c:

Video on a Canon DSLR isn't that bad, once you get used to it. The autofocus is slow but it will do the job if you use it right and give it the time it needs. If you look at just about all my convention videos, they were taken with a Canon DSLR. The Magic Lantern firmware hack also enables a lot of nice features for video, like more control over the bitrate and other parameters, focus zebras or other things to aid those who want to use manual focus, etc. So if you want to use a rebel for video, it would be good to check that that particular model is supported by magic lantern, in case you decide that you want to try it in the future.

[QUOTE=principe;4924554]This is a wonderful reply! Thank you so much for your input; honestly, I am so happy to see this post. Again, thank you so so much and I'll look into those links right now. c:[/QUOTE]

It's all just my opinion, of course.

[QUOTE=Access;4924784]Video on a Canon DSLR isn't that bad, once you get used to it. The autofocus is slow but it will do the job if you use it right and give it the time it needs. If you look at just about all my convention videos, they were taken with a Canon DSLR. The Magic Lantern firmware hack also enables a lot of nice features for video, like more control over the bitrate and other parameters, focus zebras or other things to aid those who want to use manual focus, etc. So if you want to use a rebel for video, it would be good to check that that particular model is supported by magic lantern, in case you decide that you want to try it in the future.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, good points.
The cameras certainly CAN produce very nice footage, it just takes a little more work to get there, compared to a dedicated camcorder.

The Magic Lantern firmware is almost a must-have if you're shooting video on Canon DSLRs; it adds a lot of features that should have been there in the first place. Can't believe I forgot to mention it; I use it on both my DSLRs.